The Jessamine Stakes is a Grade II American

thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for two-year-old filles over a distance of miles on the

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

held annually in early October at

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for i ...

in Lexington, Kentucky during the fall meeting.

History

The event was inaugurated on 22 October 1991 as the Green River Stakes and was won by the second favorite Shes Just Super who was ridden by US Hall of Fame jockey

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 a ...

in a time of 1:44.91. The name of the event was named after the

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

a tributary of the Ohio River that rises in Lincoln County in south-central

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. The event was created in parallel with the Hopemont Stakes which was run one day later for two-year-olds regardless of sex. The event was run in two divisions in 1994. In 2003 the event was renamed to the Jessamine County Stakes – Jessamine County is near Lexington and is considered part of the Lexington-Fayette metropolitan area. In 2005 the event was renamed to the Jessamine Stakes. In 2009, the race was moved from the turf to the main all weather track due to weather conditions. The

American Graded Stakes Committee {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeder ...

made it a

Graded stakes race A graded stakes race is a thoroughbred horse race in the United States that meets the criteria of the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). A specific grade level (I, II, III or listed) is the ...

for the first time in 2011 and was upgraded to Grade II status in 2018. The race is currently part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series and has been sponsored by

JP Morgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the w ...

since 2006. The winner automatically qualify for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Records

Speed record: * 1:40.86 – Aunt Pearl (

IRE Ire or IRE may refer to: Ire * Extreme anger; intense fury * Irē, the Livonian name for Mazirbe, Latvia * A town in Oye, Nigeria * ''Ire'' (album), a 2015 album by the Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive * Ire (Iliad), a town mentioned in ...

) (2020) ;Margins * lengths – Sweet Melania (2019) ;Most wins by an owner * 3 – William A. Carl (1991, 1997, 2003) * 3 – Kenneth L. Ramsey (1994, 2000, 2014) ;Most wins by a jockey * 5 –

(1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001) ;Most wins by a trainer * 4 – Kenneth G. McPeek (1993, 2003, 2009, 2010) * 4 –

Todd Pletcher Todd Pletcher (born June 26, 1967 in Dallas, Texas) is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. He won the Eclipse Award seven times as Trainer of the Year, four of these in consecutive years. His horses Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (20 ...

(2002, 2004, 2005, 2019)

Winners

''Legend:''

References

{{reflist, 2 Keeneland horse races Flat horse races for two-year-old fillies Turf races in the United States Breeders' Cup Challenge series Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Recurring events established in 1991 1991 establishments in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

References